Save 50% on Everything

It's not that we're a bunch of tightwads. Rather, we spend with care so we can afford the luxuries we really want. More than three-quarters of middle-class Americans use coupons, for example, while 60% take their haggling skills beyond the car dealership, says Britt Beamer at America's Research Group.In fact, the average middle-class American saves 10% of her discretionary income by bargain-hunting, says Michael Silverstein, author of "Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer": "It's shopping with a purpose, and the purpose is attaining the good life."

But increasingly, the savings don't stop at the mall. These days you can get discounts on everything from dental work to a Ph.D. The reason: transparent pricing. Online marketplaces like StubHub.com, for example, make it easy for consumers to find out where scalpers are reselling tickets for less than face value. Colleges now provide stats on their aid packages, revealing what the average student really pays and prompting more requests for tuition discounts. And who would think you could put the screws to your doctor? You can, now that insurers like Aetna publish the low rates physicians accept from HMOs.

Of course, you need to know how to use this avalanche of data to your advantage. We'll explain how the numbers can help you negotiate with car dealers, snag cheap tickets and buy designer fashions for a song. And we're not talking a 10% discount here and there. Think half off European vacations, $10,000 off the price of a new car, maybe even a tuition-free ride at an elite four-year school. Ready to save?

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